Behind 19 NCAA 'B' cut performances, Denison finished Friday's festivities with 1,478.5 points. The Big Red will carry a 120-point lead over second-place Cincinnati into the final day of the 2014 Miami University Invitational in Oxford, Ohio. Wright State sits third with 1,078 points, while Emory (972), Miami (853) and Urbana (241) round out the field.
Sophomore Jack Lindell and freshman Stuart Hohm each picked up victories on the second day to lead Denison. Lindell's winning time of 3:52.81 was one of five NCAA provisional performances in the 400 IM. Sophomore Tim Smith placed eighth in the event with a time of 4:06.51, while junior Nathan Thorne finished second in the B-Final and 11th overall after touching in at 4:01.49. Smith's fastest time in the event came in the prelims where he clocked in at 4:03.97. DU's other two 'B' cuts came from first-year swimmers Aaron Saccurato and Franz Kabelka. Saccurato was 10th in the prelims with a time of 4:04.25, while Kabelka finished 15th in the morning session at 4:07.26.
Hohm's win came in the 200 freestyle where he posted an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 1:38.40. Junior Joe Brunk took fourth in the 200 free with a 'B' cut time of 1:39.67, while sophomore Max Howes won the B-Final after posting a time of 1:39.84. Saccurato posted his second 'B' cut performance with a 12th-place finish (1:40.92).
Denison had its strongest showing in the 100 breast on Friday, posting six NCAA 'B' cuts. Sophomore Gus Evans led the way with a time of 55.82 which landed him in a tie for third. Senior Damon Rosenburg (55.93) and sophomore Al Nennig (55.95) finished fifth and sixth, respectively. In the B-Final, freshmen Alex Caprara and Brendan Howley recorded times of 57.04 and 57.15 en route to finishing 11th and 12th. The Big Red's sixth 'B' cut performance came from senior Ben Snader who touched the wall in 57.80 in the prelims.
DU posted up five more NCAA provisional qualifying times. In Friday night's opening event, both of Denison's 200 medley relay teams finish in the top-4. The foursome of Thomas Locke, Nennig, Conrad Wuorinen and Howley edged teammates Alec Carlson, Rosenburg, Andrew Rich and Ryan Fleming by one thousandth of a second for third place with a time of 1:31.41. Rich also had an individual 'B' cut, finishing sixth in the 100 butterfly (49.34). The Big Red closed out day two in Oxford with two top-6 finishes in the 800 freestyle relay. The foursome of Hohm, Saccurato, Howes and Brunk finished runner-up with a time of 6:40.88, while the team of Rich, Wuorinen, Dan Hellman and Lindell placed sixth in the event. That grouping combined for a 'B' cut time of 6:47.23.
The Denison divers also hit the pool in Oxford for the first time Friday night. Sophomore Max Levy captured the 1-meter title with a score of 313.05, while classmate Brian Allen and junior Ben Lewis placed sixth and seventh, respectively. Allen finished with 254.04 points and Lewis had a score of 245.25. Senior Connor Dignan and junior Nathan Lightman also added points in the prelims with scores of 227.25 and 216.35.
The Big Red wrap up the 2014 Miami Invitational on Saturday. Preliminaries will begin at 10 a.m. followed by championship finals at 6 p.m. Saturday's events include the 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, 400 free relay and the 3-meter dive.
